Mixer suggestions

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Hey there all,

I recently bought a Fostex Model 80 in real nice condition, but I won't bore you with that..

I was wondering, does anyone have any good mixer suggestions to interface with the Model 80. Honestly, I want something like a Tascam M-35, but I'm wondering if I should just jump for something new mixer and eliminate the chance of something going wrong with a vintage mixer, as it's enough money and time to maintain an old reel to reel..

So, is the sound that comes from a vintage mixer like an M-35 worth it, or should I just get a new mixer with much less chance of problems? If you think the new mixer would be the way to go, do you have any suggestions?? Obviously the mixer will need to have direct ins and outs. And also, the Model 80 uses RCA ins and outs. Thanks guys, all suggestions and advice is welcome!

~Elliot
 
New mixers can and will have faults too, especially today's lower cost ones which can have underbuilt/overheated power supplies, and lots of miniaturized surface mount components. At least the older ones tended to designed with repair in mind; new low-cost mixers tend to be considered disposable; once out of warranty a moderate to major fault can turn them into doorstops.

With older mixers, your concern is more in terms of aging capacitors and wear and tear.
 
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+1 on briank comments. Also, the Model 80 has 1-4 normalized to 5-8, so you can get by fine w/ a four buss mixer depending on how you multitrack. The "vintage" Tascam boards are fairly easy to work on. I've had to do some minor repairs to a Teac 5. PSU and surface mount are going to be the shortcomings on a lot of "modern" boards. However, the trade off will be the footprint and the weight of an older board. One caveat, I don't think the 35 by itself has phantom power. Also, afaik it has one effect send, so you may want to consider a 12x4 mixer or a an additional submixer for effects. That said, the M-35 would be a nice complement to the Model 80, with RCA I/O.
 
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The TASCAM 300-B series offers phantom power, great sound, low noise and 4 buss RCA connectivity. They were made in 8, 12 and 20 channel versions; M308B, M312B and M320B.

They're big beasts but well worth using if you have the space for it.

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Cheers! :)
 
Wow, really good info here. The 300 series is definitely something I'm going to look into. Any thoughts on the M216 (Tascam)? There is one for sale on craigslist for $175, but I think I maybe able to talk him into $150 or so, seeing that its been on there for a while and he has relisted it a few times. It seems like from what you guys are saying, this mixer would fit the bill pretty well, eh?
 
broken_arrow said:
Wow, really good info here. The 300 series is definitely something I'm going to look into. Any thoughts on the M216 (Tascam)? There is one for sale on craigslist for $175, but I think I maybe able to talk him into $150 or so, seeing that its been on there for a while and he has relisted it a few times. It seems like from what you guys are saying, this mixer would fit the bill pretty well, eh?
Click to expand...

The M216 doesn't have phantom power but is a decent board and a bit cleaner then an M35 or M30 and a few years newer then those as well.

Cheers! :)
 
Have a look at the Tascam M2524, has midi mute and scene control. This mixer is a real sleeper. I still have my old one. If you have the space and money, a Tascam M3500 or M3700, which is what I now use.

Alan.
 
I would go for a Fostex 812. I used one with my R8 before I upgraded to a tascam MS-16 and studiomaster. The fostex is a really good desk. Reliable, good EQ, buss metering and great sounding. I thoroughly recommend it.
 
I second the m-300 series. I have the 312b and absolutely love it! (except for some scratchy faders, which I somehow can't clean enough...). Funny, I also used the m-216 and loved it too. The only problem is that it doesn't have phantom power, which can be a real drag if you're borrowing condensers... but it sounds great, and has a suprising amount of flexibility. I got mine for $100 which I thought was steal at the time. $150 would be a good deal too, IMO. Either way, I think you would be happy.
 
Lots of good choices out there. I bought a brand new Tascam M-216 about 1990 and its served me well. Still like new and never had the slightest problem with it… not even a meter light out yet.

If you have an opportunity to get an M-216 for $175.00 I would grab it before the collective IQ of the recording community swings up again and they’re selling for twice that… like they were just a year or two ago. In great condition of course, but that goes without saying.

Or this one on eBay I’ve seen sitting there for only $225.00 and reasonable shipping costs. I have no idea who the seller is, but I did ask questions to get a better idea of the condition since his description is very nondescriptive. These should easily be selling for $100.00 - $150.00 higher in great condition.

Tascam M-216 16 Channel Mixer with EQ Sub Console Sound Board Unit | eBay

I’m seeing more and more steals like this sitting on eBay for weeks with no takers. I don’t know if it’s the hard economic times, or eBay has gotten harder to navigate (which it has in the last year or so drastically changed how it searches key words and is the absolute pits) Then there’s simply ignorance on the buyers part… they don’t know what is what. That’s nothing new, but seems to be worse of late.

For my purposes I don’t worry about a board having phantom power. I have a couple outboard pres with phantom power as well as an inexpensive outboard phantom power unit. I never use more than two condensers at a time these days, so the phantom power on most channels would just sit there doing nothing anyway if I had a board with Phantom. YMMV
 
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